Lovely Memory
by Wilona Riva
Summary: Ember bent down and gently looked him in the eyes. "Danny, it won't be so bad. I promise you, I'll learn to play my guitar better and when I do, I'll come and find you."
1. Ice and Flame

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

_This was part of the "Weeping Wind" collection of oneshots._

* * *

**Ice and Flame**

* * *

"Emmy, do I really hafta?" Ember felt a slight tug on her leather pants as her little brother's voice piped up.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but Clockwork says you gotta go. I don't want you to go either, but our Mom and Dad can't take care of us both with our baby brother on the way. The humans will be better parents for you," she told him.

The little boy sniffled. "I don't want to be a human, Emmy."

Ember bent down and gently looked him in the eyes. "Danny, it won't be so bad. I promise you, I'll learn to play my guitar better and when I do, I'll come and find you."

"It's cold out there in the human world, Emmy," her little brother complained.

"It's September, Danny," she laughed. "It's nothing compared to December's bone-chilling cold or the coldness of the stars in space."

"What's space?" Danny asked, cocking his head curiously.

"How about if I tell you, my dear child?" the voice of the Time Master spoke from below them where they floated above a balcony in his tower. "I know a lot about the human world."

Danny released his big sister's hand. "Really?"

"Like a parade," came the reply.

"I like parades," Danny smiled up at the old blue ghost.

"I thought you might," the Clockwork Chronos answered, smiling back at the boy.

* * *

Author's Note: Next updates for **Changeling** and **Invisible Nothing** will be on Saturday. On March 10th, the next story in the Serpent and Halfa Chronicles series will debut.


	2. Dead Leaves Fall

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Dead Leaves Fall**

* * *

"So long as you swear you won't sing, we'll go with you to the concert in the park," Danny's exasperated voice reached Sam's ears as she pushed opened the front doors to the school. Tucker had been pratically begging on hands and knees for weeks now, since the new pop diva, Ember's single, _Remember, _hit the shelves last month. Timing that with the latest rash of ghost escapades with the Box Ghost and Klemper, Tucker was very lucky Danny hadn't put him six feet under himself.

"Finally throwing in the towel?" she teased her two best friends. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but Mr. Lancer wanted to talk to me about my essay. Let's grab a bench in the shade; I'm starving."

"The one you did on Dorian Gray that flipped Paulina out?" Tucker asked, bending over laughing.

"Tucker!"

"That was sweet," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "She looked like a fish gasping for air by the time Sam was finished reading."

Danny shook his head and stood up, rubbing life back into his legs. "I had all day detention with Mr. Davies, thanks to Dash's stupid stunt in the locker room yesterday. Missed that one."

"You mean your stupid stunt, right?" Sam queried, arching an eyebrow sarcastically at her crush. They all had Lancer for English I after lunch; Sam had him also for her classics literature elective course for 2nd hour. They were reading the same book in both classes.

He waved her off and then cocked his head. "You guys hear music?"

"The park isn't far from here," Tucker mused. "It's probably Ember practicing. The concert isn't until tomorrow night. You guys want to check it out?"

Danny and Sam exchanged glances and sighed. "If we must," they told him in unison.

"Sweet!"

* * *

"Think he'll hear the song, Emmy?" Nicholas asked her, red eyes scanning over the sheet music he'd been looking over the last fifteen minutes.

"He has to," Ember said, tuning her guitar. "I put my heart and soul into this piece. Clockwork said he went to the local high school and was a part-time ghost hunter."

"Wait, your brother is a ghost hunter and is a half-ghost? Talk about far-out relatives," Unity, restringing his skull-shaped guitar. "Where's Jaimie?"

"Checking on Youngblood for me," Ember replied.

"He still insisting on playing pirate?"

"Yeah."

"I've never seen a kid hate adults so much," Nicholas remarked. "It's not natural."

"He found out about Danny," Unity stated, eyes flickering to Ember, who just sighed heavily.

"Okay, I'm going to need a power boost, so since Jaimie isn't back yet," she said, "we'll do a brief drive-by of the local high school and do a little bit of advertising."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Got that right, baby pop."


	3. Remember

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**You Will Remember**

* * *

Author's Note: The rest of "Fanning the Flames" never happened. Took me a bit longer than the half-hour I'd said I'd have it written and posted by.

* * *

The rest of the day proved uneventful unless you accept the fact that Paulina and her "oh so peppy" pep squad managed to finangle their way out of the rest of their classes and bedecked the school with Ember memorablia. Danny and Sam felt sick about, but for different reasons. Tucker went with the flow and bought into the whole Ember scene, shelling out $25 to Paulina for one of her Ember iconic t-shirts and purple beret with a blue flame on it.

Last period had Lancer strapping helmets on them that connected to the new statewide computerized practice exam they needed to pass in order to make it to the tenth grade. Tucker had snuck Ember's cd into the CD-ROM drive, to Lancer's embarrassment and the class' amusement.

"Unbelievable," Danny grumbled to Sam, when the bell ring ending the day.

"Hello, Casper High!" a girl's voice yelled, as a mobile truck with stage included, rolled up to the front steps of the school. "Are you ready to rock?"

"Yeah!" came the shout of all the teens spilling out of the building, wanting to see the show.

"Tell me about it," Sam murmured, noting the mist floating out of Danny's mouth. "Uh-oh."

"Ember's a ghost?" he whispered, a strange haunted look on his face. "I'm going to talk to her."

"Danny, this isn't a good idea," Sam said, trying to hook the back of his collar, but he turned intangible, causing her fingers to not find any purchase.

* * *

Ember was singing a mellower version of _Remember_, when she saw the black-haired teen with the sky-blue eyes come down the steps of the school and smiled. She poured more of her soul in to the song, then stopped singing.

"I wrote this song for my little brother who was given up for adoption because our parents couldn't afford to take care of me and him with a new baby on the way," she said sincerely, smiling at the puzzled teen, standing next to an older girl with carrot red hair and teal eyes.

* * *

"Jazz, why does she look so familiar?" Danny whispered, moving to stand next to his older sister.

"I don't know," Jazz answered. "She pours her whole soul into her music. I read in an article somewhere that she became a rock star just so she could find her little brother. I hope she does."

Danny and Ember's eyes connected. She smiled down at him tenderly. He smiled shyly back and waved. She waved back.

"Ember is way too cool for you, Fen-toenail," Dash snarled, shoving the smaller boy ground. "She'll never associate with a loser like you." He walked off laughing at his own wit.

* * *

Ember ground her teeth and wished she could turn the dial on her guitar and blast that bully with one of her ecto-fists, but Nicholas placed on warning hand on her shoulder. "Don't, Emmy. He's got to learn to fight his own battles."

She squeezed his hand back warmly and hopped down off the stage. "Are you alright?" she asked the human boy.

He nodded, blue eyes flashing spectral green. "I'm used to it," he said, resignedly.

"I can tell, babypop," she said, helping him to his feet. "I can also tell you know what I am, what we are," she added, gesturing at herself and the band on the stage.

He crinkled his brow in confusion. "You're not going to try to hurt anybody, are you?" he asked nervously.

"No, Phantom," she stated. "I won't . Can't you come to park after sunset? Bring anyone you want, but not _him_." Here she shot a look of disgust at the dark-skinned boy on his knees on the ground chanting her name. "He's making a fool out of himself."

"He does that all the time," Danny chuckled. "We're used to it."

"I'm assuming by 'we', you mean the dark-haired girl you were standing next to a moment ago?" Ember queried.

"Yeah, Sam," he responded, blushing a bit.

"Sounds cool, and bring your sister while you're added," Ember said, as she turned to walk back to her band. "She's got a good head on her shoulders."

Danny didn't ask her how she knew Jazz was his sister, but agreed to meet her as she'd asked. He knew, scratch that, he sensed she wasn't an evil spirit, like the usual motley crew that he was always having to hunt down and send back to the Ghost Zone.

"What did Ember want?" Jazz asked, as everyone shot him puzzled looks. The crowd was returning inside to gather homework and junk they'd dropped to see what the all the commotion was about.

"Tell you later," Danny replied over his shoulder as he headed up the school steps, where a scowling goth girl was waiting to cream him. "Got to talk to Sam first."

Jazz smiled. Only her little brother had a special way to defuse the ticking time bomb known as Samantha Manson. She was going to add another $25 to the betting pool that they got together before Christmas.


	4. Warm and Tender

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Warm and Tender**

* * *

"What if he can't see me, Emmy?" her little brother asked. "What if he hates me?"

"Shhh, Youngblood, Danny didn't seem like that, when we talked earlier this afternoon," his older sister reassured him. A slight warm wind swirled the leaves around them. "He's here."

"Danny, I don't see anyone here," the carrot-haired girl said, scanning the environs and seeing no one.

"They're here," another voice replied. This one was male. "They're probably invisible at the moment."

Younblood's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Danny!" he shrieked, running in the direction of the voices. "Danny! Danny! Danny!"

"Youngblood, don't!" Ember's voice yelled, over the eager young ghost child's. "Ooh, why the heck did that parrot decide to take a vacation at a time like this?"

Before the newcomers could even defend themselves, a child of about six or so tackled Danny and threw his arms around him and hugged him tight.

"I'm Youngblood," he exclaimed, grinning cheekily at the older boy. He looked over the girl, then stuck out his tongue at her. "Who are you?"

Ember ran up to them, panting slightly. "Sorry, about that, Danny. He's a little too impulsive at times."

"That's alright," Danny said, laughing a bit as Youngblood hugged him again, before running over to Ember.

"How do you know my little brother's name?" the girl asked. "And what knocked Danny over?"

"Who, not a what," Danny mumured. "You can't see him?"

"Not important," Ember said, as the human girl shook her head. "I know Danny, because he's our brother who was put up for adoption by our parents. They gave him to the Clockwork Chronos who sent him to be reborn as a human. I promised I would come for him as soon as I could learn to play the guitar better."

Danny's snow white hair ruffled in the breeze that blew around them in the moonlight. His emerald gaze fell on the younger boy clinging to Ember's leather pants. Jazz had a thoughtful gaze upon her face.

"What?" he demanded.

"Mom always felt her pregnancy with you was a bit rushed," Jazz explained. "She doesn't even remember going to the hospital for regular check ups. It was like you appeared from nowhere."

Danny frowned. "Why have you never told me this?"

"I never thought to question it before," came the response.

"Is he coming home with us, Emmy?" the little boy asked. "You said he was."

"That is Danny's choice," Ember said, looking down at him. "You have to remember he's half-human."

"Okay."

"Ember, do you mind...?"

"No, Phantom," she said. "It might help him."

Danny walked over to the little boy and bent down until they were looking at each other on eye-level. "Youngblood, I'm not sure if I am your brother. I would have to talk to this Clockwork Chronos your sister mentioned. It hurt me a lot when I became half-ghost and that pain transfers into the responsibilty I feel for protecting the ones I love. I can't abandon my family or my friends, but I will come with you after the concert tomorrow night and we can ask this Time Master to show us the truth."

"Pinkie swear?"

"Pinkie swear."


	5. Wind Blow

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Wind Blow**

* * *

"This will mean telling them," Jazz said, as they phased through the roof into Jazz's room.

"I know," he said. "I think it's time we all quit hiding the truth from each other. We are supposed to be a family."

"We are, Danny," she reassured him with a smile. This didn't get rid of the butterflies in his stomach, but he hugged her tightly.

"What if it is true?" he asked her. "What if I am forced to leave everyone and live in the Ghost Zone?"

"It won't happen, Danny," she told him. "And even if it were true, you'd always be my little brother."

* * *

"Thank you," Ember told the Time Master, "for letting us see Danny again."

"Yeah, thank you," Youngblood piped up.

"Be careful of breaking strings you cannot repair," Clockwork warned.

"I will leave the choice to him," she replied, "but I need to tell our parents to expect his arrival. They have longed for his presence from the moment they gave him up."

"It was for the best of both our worlds," Clockwork said.

* * *

Danny was nervously bunching the bottom of his t-shirt while Jazz went to fetch his parents. He looked around the living room and wondered if this was the last time he was to see the inside of this house with the ones he loved before their fanatic terrorism of his kind blinded their love for him. _Would they even still love me?_

"We'll always love you, know matter what," his father's booming voice caused him to jump. He hadn't realized he'd said his thoughts out loud. His mother looked at him quizzically.

"Uh..." he looked to Jazz for help.

"Just show them," she said.

"Promise you won't hate me, guys?" he pleaded with his parents.

"Why would we hate you, sweetie?" his mother questioned him. "Danny, are you feeling alright?"

"No," he answered, calling forth the rings. Emerald eyes bore into her own as the snow white hair of the Phantom framed his face. "I haven't been the same since the portal started."

Maddie collapsed onto the couch. "How?"

Jack grasped the boy's chin and lifted his head until blue eyes connected with glowing emerald. "Phantom?"

"The accident and yes," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Maybe I'd better start at the beginning."

Jack joined his wife and daughter on the sofa, while Phantom floated into mid-air, sitting indian-style. He toyed with the belt on his jumpsuit for a moment, then his voice echoed as he began the story of the day that changed his life forever.


	6. One Thing Remains

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**One Thing Remains**

* * *

"So, that is what she told me," Danny concluded. "I am not sure if what she said is true or not, but it is worth checking out."

"You're not going into the Ghost Zone alone, Danny," Jack stated. "You don't know what kind of powerful creatures inhabit that world."

"Dimension, Dad," Danny corrected, " and I've already been in several times." He turned pleading eyes towards his sister, who just shook her head.

"Staying out of this one," she said, leaning back and folding her arms.

"Traitor," he said.

"Human," she responded, "and aiming to stay that way."

Maddie laughed softly. "You may be half-ghost, Danny, but be nice to your sister. Jazz, be nice to your brother. Danny, I'm not comfortable with letting you go into the Ghost Zone by yourself either."

"I won't be alone," Danny argued, landing on the floor and changing back to human. "Ember and Youngblood will be with me."

"Do you even know the names of these ghost parents of yours?" Jack asked.

"No," Danny said, shaking his head. "Ember wouldn't tell me."

"Why ever not?" Jack wondered.

"Okay," Maddie declared, "it's spaghetti night, who's hungry?"

"I'll call Papa John's," Jazz murmured to Danny.

"And I'll get the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick," he whispered back.

* * *

Ember and Youngblood both had lairs which were separate and joined to their parents by a natural portal. Danny's was also here, but sealed off in his absence.

Ivory was puttering about the kitchen wearing one of her boho print tunic dresses with a pair of khaki colored cowboy-style ankle boots. "Oh, hi, Emmykins, where have you been?"

"I found him, Mom," she blurted out, blushing red. She noted the similarities between herself and her mother. Both were fire elementals with flaming blue ponytails; her mother had tiny ringlets framing her face, while Ember preferred parting hers in an M-shaped pattern. Ember's skin was a light blue, while Ivory's was a pale green.

"Found who?" her father, Maddox, asked, popping his head out of the garage. He was always tinkering with stuff much to his family's embarrassment. He looked like an older, buffer, version of Danny, she decided, just without the unruly spiky mess her brother usually preferred. Same hair color, bright blue eyes and tanned skin.

"Danny," she repeated. "I found him. He's one of the halfas."

"WHAT?" both parents shouted.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I went to the Clockwork Chronos and asked where to find him."

"Where is he?" Ivory whispered. "Where is my baby?"

"In the human world, where the Clockwork Chronos sent him. He's really cute and sweet," Ember told them. "In his human form, he kinda looks like Dad, just with short, messy black hair, ice-blue eyes and pale skin. When he's in his natural form, he's definitely a younger version of Dad with his hair color and Mom's emerald eyes."

"You all bred true," Maddox teased, causing his wife to blush. "So does he have a family who loves him?"

"Yes, when they're not trying to kill him," Youngblood said, making his appearance. "The parrot's back and has been asking around for me. I was curious. Danny's small-statured and the school bullies pick on him. He rarely stands up for himself as a human, but puts his life on the line for the mortals when he's Phantom-that's his name for himself as a ghost."

"His adoptive parents try to kill him?" Ivory gasped. "What kind of parents would try to kill their own child? Where is all the common sense gone to in the world?"

"Here we go with the theatrics," Ember muttered. "Thanks, baby bro."

"Glad to oblige," Youngblood said, grinned.

"Ember, you are to fetch your brother home, this instant," Maddox ordered. "He is not to stay in those humans' home one minute more."

"What do these parents of our son do for a living?" Ivory demanded.

"They are ghost hunters," Ember admitted. "Danny is following in their footsteps, slowly but surely."

"Not on my watch!" Ivory yelled.

"Whoa, Mom, chill!" Ember said, raising her hands in a calming motion. "You're the ones who chose to give Danny up. The Clockwork Chronos must have had a reason to choose ghost hunters to raise him. "

"So when is he coming home?" Maddox asked.

"Tomorrow night, after the concert," said the pop diva.

"I can't wait!" Youngblood said excitedly. "Danny's coming home."

"Yeah," Ivory chirped. "Let's go bake some cookies."

"Yeah!" Youngblood cheered, following his mother into the large walk-in pantry.

Ember arched an eyebrow at her father, who just grinned.

"Yes, I'm sorry to tell you, daughter dear, but she really is your mother," he teased.

"I was afraid of that," she mumbled.


	7. Cold December

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Cold December**

* * *

"Why can't I go?" Youngblood whined, as Ember painted her trademark symbols under her eyes with a small paintbrush.

"It's not that you're old enough," Ember told him. "I made a promise to Danny. He may misundertand my motives and attack. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Are you going to hyno-whasit him?"

"Not unless I have to," Ember said, ruffling his hair, which he yelled in annoyance.

"Be careful, Ember," Maddox cautioned. "I've heard stories of what happens to the ghosts who are caught and sent back by Phantom."

"So have I," Ember agreed, shuddering. "I think Walker stakes that place out on purpose." Saying that, she took her leave of her parents and little brother. Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself for what she had to do tomorrow. Being the older sister of a half-human ghost hunter sucked sometimes.

* * *

If Jazz could have heard Ember's thoughts right then, she would have promptly agreed. Knocking on her little brother's door, she heard a muffled "Come in."

"Danny, would you like to about it?" she asked, observing he was face down on his bed, face buried in his pillows.

"No," he answered. "I'm not in the mood to be pyscoanalyzed tonight, Dr. Freud."

Jazz chuckled. "Do you even know who Sigmund Freud was, Danny?"

"Some nutcase shrink who thought sex was at the root of everyone's problems," he muttered, turning over and sitting up so that he was facing her. "What did you want, Jazz?"

"Nervous about tomorrow night?" she teased.

"Yes," he said. "What if they hate me, Jazz. I mean, I hunt ghosts for crying out loud."

"Yes, and you return them to the Ghost Zone, if a bit ruffed up," she remarked. "I've seen you in action, Danny. Your real parents will love you no matter what."

He smiled. "Thank you, Jazz. You always know how to cheer me up."

"That's what big sisters are for," she said.


	8. Life Goes On

Lovely Memory

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Life Goes On**

* * *

"Always remember, Phantom, that life goes on. You have two sets of parents who love you, no matter what you will become," Clockwork said, as Ember watched her little brother's throw question after question at the Time Master.

The concert had been brief, but spectacular. She'd received a power boost from all the fans chanting her name and her ponytail currently swept the backs of her knees. She was probably going to have to sequester herself until the flames died down a bit. Per her half of the agreement, she'd brought Danny to the Clockwork Chronos, where they'd spent the last two or three hours in this question and answer session.

"I suppose," Danny replied, rising to his feet. He bowed in respect to the Time Master as Ember had instructed. "Thank you, Clockwork."

"My pleasure, dear boy," the elderly ghost murmured, a smile on his face. "Your mother has baked enough cookies for an army; bring me some, please?"

Ember chuckled. "Should have known there was a bribe in there somewhere. Come on, Danny. Danny?"

"My human mom bakes cookies too," he said, "but they try to eat us more often than we try to eat them. Mom's cookies don't do that, do they, Emmy?"

"Only the Monster Mash variety she makes every Halloween," Ember said, surprised that Danny remembered his pet name for her from so long ago. "Don't worry, Danny, it'll be alright."

"Okay, Emmy."

* * *

"He's already gone, isn't he?" were the first words that greeted Jazz when she walked into the house after 7pm.

"Yes," she replied, taking off her jacket. "Phew! Why is it so hot in here?"

"You're father believes that by turning the house into a sauna, we can sweat out any overweight ghosts who are hiding in the attic," her mother answered, fanning herself. Maddie looked gorgeous in her two piece aqua bathing suit with a pair of shorts covering the bottom half.

"Quit stealing our boxes, you annoying box thief!" Jack bellowed from aboved them, followed by what sounded like a couple of ecto-shots bouncing off the walls. "Ouch!"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "The Box Ghost again?"

"Uh-huh," Maddie grinned. "He's been stealing any boxes labelled 'baby clothes' lately."

Jazz snorted; Danny had told her about the last run-in he'd had with him. "I'll be upstairs working on my thesis. Call me when Danny gets home."

* * *

"We're home!" Ember called out to the empty lair. "Okay, that's really unusual."

"To come home to quiet house? I'd say that was a sweet relief." Phantom asked, stepping inside right behind her. He sensed something opening up upstairs that had been sealed off for the longest time. "What was that?"

Ember closed her eyes and followed the energy spike he'd sensed. She smiled. "That's just your lair reopening itself. It was sealed off when you left."

"Oh."

"Mom!"

"In the kitchen, dear!" Ivory sang out. "Bring Danny with you. Your father's gone to market to buy another cow."

"He couldn't just by a gallon of milk like any other normal ghost?" Ember complained to Danny's bemused expression.

"You know your father, dear," Ivory called back.

Danny threw back his head and laughed. "I'm loving them already."

"And you ain't seen nothing yet, Babypop," Ember whispered, as she led the way further into the family home.

* * *

**Author's Note: One reviewer has already asked me, "That's it?" I'm afraid so. Sometimes the best stories are left open-ended. I do have a series of oneshots coming up soon called "Feathers and Dust". I'll give you guys a humorous companion piece set a few weeks after this one.**


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